System and method for autonomous sustenance of digital assets

Abstract

A system and method for autonomous sustenance of digital assets, including but not limited to digital media, is described. The system may include one or more smart contracts which provide terms for executing a provision of a digital asset to a user on a permanent or duration limited basis. The method may include ensuring the terms of the smart contract are executed such that digital rights holders in the digital assets are paid for access to the digital asset.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a first computing device including one or more processors which receive access to a digital asset from a publisher of the digital asset and provides access to the digital asset to a user;
 wherein the one or more processors receive a request to access a digital asset, and 
 wherein the one or more processors identify one or more terms for accessing the digital asset specified by the publisher of the digital asset, 
   a display device which receives user interface image data from the one or more processors, the user interface image data including data representative of one or more terms for accessing the digital asset specified by the publisher of the digital asset;
 wherein the one or more processors receive an indication that a user accepts the one or more terms for accessing the digital asset specified by the publisher of the digital asset, 
 wherein the one or more processors create a data packet that is cryptographically signed by the user, 
 wherein the one or more processors add a transaction request that is cryptographically signed by the user to the data packet that is cryptographically signed by the user, 
 wherein the one or more processors record, in a decentralized transaction ledger that is implemented as either a blockchain transaction ledger or a directed acyclical graph decentralized ledger, that the terms for accessing the digital asset have been met by the user, and 
 wherein the one or more processors provide the digital asset to the user. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the terms are specified in smart contracts. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the terms include an indication of a currency accepted by the publisher. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the currency is a fiat currency. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the currency is a cryptocurrency. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors receive a payment for the digital asset in a first currency. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors exchange the first currency into a second currency. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the first currency is a fiat currency and the second currency is a crypto currency. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the system issues a payment to a publisher in real-time when the payment for the digital asset is received. 
     
     
         10 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by one or more processors, a request to access a digital asset;   identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more terms for accessing the digital asset specified by a publisher of the digital asset;   displaying, on a display device, the one or more terms for accessing the digital asset specified by the publisher of the digital asset;   receiving, by the one or more processors, an indication that a user accepts the one or more terms for accessing the digital asset specified by the publisher of the digital asset;   creating, by the one or more processors, a data packet that is cryptographically signed by the user;   adding, by the one or more processors, a transaction request that is cryptographically signed by the user to the data packet that is cryptographically signed by the user;   recording, by the one or more processors, in a decentralized transaction ledger that is implemented as either a blockchain transaction ledger or a directed acyclical graph decentralized ledger, that the terms for accessing the digital asset have been met by the user; and   providing, by the one or more processors, the digital asset to the user.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the terms are stored in a memory device as smart contracts. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the smart contracts are nested smart contracts. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the terms include an indication of a currency accepted by the publisher. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the currency is one of a fiat currency or a cryptocurrency. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more processors, a payment for the digital asset in a first currency.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the system issues a payment to the publisher in real-time when the payment for the digital asset is received. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the decentralized transaction ledger is one of a publicly accessible decentralized transaction ledger and a privately accessible transaction ledger. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein access to the digital asset is subscription based. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein payments to the publisher of the digital asset are asynchronous. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising,
 accessing, by the one or more processors, an account of a user;   transferring, by the one or more processors, an amount of currency to a computing device associated with the one or more processors;   exchanging, by the one or more computer processors the currency into another currency; and   depositing, by the one or more computer processors, the another currency into a publisher account.